- Primary Subject: Forza Horizon 6 (Japan Edition)
- Key Update: An unencrypted Steam preload has allowed the full game to be cracked and pirated a full week before the official launch.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: May 11, 2026
- Quick Answer: Forza Horizon 6 is cracked. An accidental, unencrypted Steam preload leaked the 155GB game files early, allowing pirates to bypass security before the May release.
Just a few days before its release, Forza Horizon 6 preload files were made available on Steam, way earlier than expected.
What's the problem, you might ask? Well, the Steam preload files were not encrypted, which means the game was cracked, with plenty of piracy websites allowing users to download and play the game.
A Huge Blunder For Forza Horizon 6 and Playground Games
This is one of the biggest blunders in recent memory, as Forza Horizon 6, one of the most highly anticipated games of the last couple of years, is now available for people to illegally download and play, days before paying customers can even touch it.
Of course, this will impact the game's sales on PC massively, as many players will likely choose to download the game for free, and have the caveat of playing it ahead of launch.
Playground Games and Microsoft quickly went on damage control, making the files unavailable on the Steam database, removing posts about the leaks and the piracy websites that have the cracked game, and striking down footage of the leaked game on YouTube and other websites.
However, it's too little too late. Posts about a few players being banned for thousands of years for playing the game earlier are funny, but they do little to discourage people from going to those piracy websites, downloading Forza Horizon 6, and hitting the gas pedal.
Sure, you might be able to ban a few players who post gameplay footage, with their game tag visible by the way, or use the cheat engine to change some values, but you won't be able to ban the majority of players who pirated the game.
It's a colossal mistake, one that has most people in the gaming community scratching their heads. Forza Horizon 6 will still be incredibly successful on PC; there is no doubt about it, but losing a significant part of revenue like this must hurt.
There is also the issue of the loyal players who pre-ordered the game, bought the Deluxe or Premium Edition to have early access, and now see players who didn't spend a dime get their hands on the game way earlier than them.
Microsoft will certainly do something to try to apologize to these fans for their gigantic mistake. It just remains to be seen if that will be enough, or if this will be an issue that will plague the community sentiment for quite a while.
Stay tuned to racinggames.gg: the best place for Forza Horizon coverage.